Understanding Arguments: An Introduction to Informal Logic

Through five editions, Understanding Arguments has evolved into a text that students and instructors value, both as a course textbook and as a guide for understanding and using arguments throughout their careers. Its tried and true strengths include multiple approaches to analysis of arguments, providing a variety of important tools; a thorough grounding on the uses of language in everyday discourse; and chapters in the latter half of the book that apply abstract concepts to concrete legal, moral, and scientific issues. Now, in its sixth edition, this proven text is even stronger, because of these refinements: • The chapter on uses of arguments has been moved to the front of the book as Chapter 3 and contains a new beginning section on justification. • Chapter 9 on inductive reasoning has been reorganized so as to clearly display the relations among the various kinds of inductive arguments. • The chapter on fallacies has been split into two and developed to make the material more accessible and interesting to students. • The chapter on probability has been expanded with new sections on Bayes'theorem and principles for decision-making under uncertainty. • The section on definition has been greatly expanded with new illustrative material from Plato's Meno and President Clinton's trial depositions. In addition, the Instructor's Manual offers explanations of the discussion questions and exercises in the textbook, as well as supplementary exercises, classroom-tested examinations with answers, and general suggestions for using Understanding Arguments, Sixth Edition.